Movies on Amazon Prime that you purchase to “own” them may at any time disappear without warning or refund.
That’s because the content that you spend your hard earned money on isn’t actually yours, the US streaming app claimed.
Instead, user-purchased films and TV series are long-term rentals that Amazon can remove due to third-party rights owners.
Seattle tech titan filed a lawsuit in court this week against a customer suing the company for false advertising.
In April, Amanda Caudel, of Fairfield, Calif., Filed a lawsuit alleging Amazon “secretly reserves the right” to block user access to content purchased through its Prime video service.
Amazon filed a motion to dismiss her complaint on Monday, arguing that it could not pass as it had not been hurt.
Do me a favor: please SHARE this post.
The company also highlighted that Amanda has purchased 13 titles through her Amazon Prime account since filing her claim.
“The plaintiff alleges that defendant Amazon’s Prime Video service … is misleading consumers because sometimes video content is later no longer available when a third-party rights holder revokes or changes Amazon’s license,” wrote attorney David Biderman in the motion.
“The complaint vaguely references an online comment on this alleged potential harm, but does not identify a Prime Video purchase that is not available to the plaintiff itself.
“In fact, all of the Prime Video content the plaintiff ever bought remains available.”
Amazon also pointed out the Prime Terms of Service, which users see every time they purchase content.
Prime states that users are purchasing a limited license that allows “on-demand viewing for an indefinite period”.
“The main agreement here – the Prime Video Terms of Use – is presented to consumers every time they purchase digital content on Amazon Prime Video,” wrote Biderman.
“These Terms of Use expressly state that buyers are only granted a limited license to view video content and that purchased content may no longer be available due to restrictions in the provider license or for other reasons.”
Amanda’s lawsuit was filed on behalf of herself and other California residents who purchased content on Prime from April 2016 through April 2020.
Amazon argues that it didn’t bother reading the fine print of Prime’s Terms of Service.
It doesn’t matter, the company says, since anyone who buys streaming content is bound by the terms of use.
“A person doesn’t have to read an agreement to be bound by it,” says Amazon in its legal filing.
“A merchant’s terms of use agreement in an online consumer transaction is valid and enforceable once the consumer has properly read the terms of use.”
In other news, Amazon recently added a new feature to Prime that lets you watch movies with your friends remotely.
TikTok and 50 other iPhone apps have been accused by cyber experts of spying on users.
And live streaming service Twitch is being sued by a man who accuses the company of injuring his penis.
What do you think of Prime’s licensing rules? Let us know in the comments!
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for the Sun Online Tech & Science team? at tech @
–
